CROSS TRAINING: WHYS AND WHATS

Why Cross-Training Works

For those who seriously doubt that anything other than running can help them become better runners, here are five benefits of cross-training:

1. Greater average workout intensity.
Runners who are already completing two (or three in some cases) hard running workouts per week can seldom afford to add another. The risk of injury is too great. On the other hand, these runners could zoom through a hellfire bike session without much worry about leg injury. This increase in intensity makes the heart bigger and stronger; increases blood volume, which means that more fuel and oxygen travel to the leg muscles (and more blood to the skin for cooling when you need it in hot weather); and improves the muscles' ability to deal with lactic acid during very hard running or racing.

2. Greater strength.
Many cross-training activities-resistance training, stair climbing, step aerobics, cycling and aquarunning-build stronger leg muscles. As a result, when you run at race pace, you don't need to use as many muscle cells (because each one is stronger). This saves energy and improves your running economy, a key indicator of running fitness and ability. When your economy increases, so does your speed. Soccer develops multidirectional strength in your leg muscles because of its demand for constant change in direction of movement (compared to the single forward motion of running). This overall leg strength helps you handle uneven terrain and avoid injury when running.

3. Fewer injuries.
For runners, it's always important to consider muscle trauma-the pounding your legs take during a typical workout, particularly a hard one. The more hard workouts you do, and the more often you run (even easy) when your legs are sore, the more likely you are to get injured. And injuries will certainly derail your training program. By cross-training, you can get in an intense session without battering your legs.

4. Improved leanness.
Cross-training can help you burn more calories per week, and any fat you lose can make a difference in your performance.

5. Improved mental toughness.
The more you learn to cope with a difficult bicycling, skiing or stair climbing workout, the better you'll deal with intense running.

Follow these guidelines to get the most out of cross-training.

1. Don't add.
Substitute. You won't help yourself by adding a cross-training day to an already strenuous running schedule. It's far smarter, at least when you first take up cross-training, to begin by substituting an alternative workout for one of your running sessions. Once you adapt successfully, you can increase your total number of workouts.

2. Do minutes, not hours.
Just because you're in great running shape doesn't mean you're ready for hours of cycling or skiing. If you take up cross-training with too much gusto, you'll probably find yourself too sore to do your next run. Instead, start with just 20 minutes. Build up slowly, as you would recommend to new runners.

3. Pay attention to muscle groups.
Avoid activities that might aggravate running injuries. For example, runners with sore quads or Achilles tendons sometimes find that cycling aggravates those conditions. Similarly, runners with plantar fasciitis or lower-back stiffness often don't respond well to court sports or intense, long- duration walking.

4. To achieve maximum fitness, go for the burn.
Once you're comfortable with cross-training activities, you can go at them hard. For example, you can do interval training on a bike, stairclimber or ski machine. These workouts can help you improve your cardiovascular fitness without overstressing your legs.

5. When you feel overtired, stop.
Fatigue is a sign that your body needs rest. Period. No way around it. Cross-training will never be any help if it only contributes to overtraining. Use it to give your legs a break and to increase your strength in areas running doesn't develop, but don't exhaust yourself.

Source: RUNNER'S WORLD MAGAZINE--MAY 1996